University of California

Sloan-kettering Institute for Cancer Research

Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases

Farhad Daghighian

Saul Miodownik

Peter Shenderov

Behzad Eshaghian

Edward J Hoffman

John C Mazziotta

A radiation imaging device of the type employing a scintillator and a position-sensitive photomultiplier tube eliminates or reduces edge effects and thereby increases the linear field of view by compensating for nonlinearities which distort an image close to the edge. Specifically, (1) a light guide is placed about the edge of the scintillator to channel light that would otherwise be reflected from the edge of scintillator to a light absorbing material so that edge reflected light is not detected by the position-sensitive photomultiplier tube and (2) variable resistors are employed to compensate for distortions in the image caused by current leakage along the edge of the position-sensitive photomultiplier tube.

Radiation imaging device having an enlarged uniform field of view

An imaging apparatus with a flexible light guide which a surgeon can easily manipulate within the patient to control the field of view. Specifically, a scintillator receives radiation rays and converts these radiation rays into light signals at a position inside the body. A flexible bundle of optical fibers optically connected to the scintillator, channels the light signals from the scintillator to a position sensitive light signal detector located outside the body. The position sensitive light signal detector creates a digital signal to relay the position information about the detected event to a computer which accumulates these digital signals, converts these digital signals into images and displays the images.

Flexible intraoperative radiation imaging camera

An intraoperative radiation probe is devised to detect radiolabelled malignant tissues by being selectively sensitive to beta radiation while insensitive to gamma radiation. The probe is comprised of two plastic scintillators optically coupled to corresponding photomultiplier tubes via corresponding light pipes. One of the plastic scintillators is shielded against beta radiation while the other is left to detect both beta and gamma radiation. The gamma radiation sensitivity of the dual probes is empirically established and used as a weighted factor to subtract the outputs of the two probes to leave a signal indicative of the beta radiation emitted by the radiolabelled tissue. Because of the shorter range of beta radiation within tissue, only near radiolabelled tissue is detected by the probe while strongly radiolabelled, more distant tissues exposing the probe to gamma radiation are ignored. The reliably identified near radiolabelled tissues can then be surgically removed. The probe is usable in any application where local beta radiation is to be differentiated from other types and sources of radiation.

Intraoperative beta probe and method of using the same

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New York, NY, United States of America

Farhad Daghighian